Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA sent a forceful message on Thursday about tanking, hitting the Utah Jazz with a $500,000 fine and handing the Indiana Pacers a $100,000 fine for recent game management and roster decisions, the league announced.

Utah’s fine was related to a Feb. 7 game against the Orlando Magic and Feb. 9 game against the Miami Heat.

‘During those games, the Jazz removed two of the team’s top players, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., before the beginning of the fourth quarter and did not return them to the game, even though these players were otherwise able to continue to play and the outcomes of the games were thereafter in doubt,’ the NBA said.

Utah entered the fourth quarter of its Feb. 7 game with a 94-87 lead but scored just 23 points in the final frame and lost 120-117. It won the game against Miami, 115-111, and won Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings to move to 18-37 on the season, third-worst in the West.

The Pacers, the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference at 15-40, were found to be in violation of the Player Participation Policy for a Feb. 3 game against the Jazz, per the league statement.

‘Following an investigation, including review by an independent physician, the NBA determined that Pascal Siakam, a star player under the Policy, and two other Pacers starters, neither of whom participated in the game, could have played under the medical standard in the Policy, including by playing reduced minutes. Alternatively, the team could have held the players out of other games in a way that would have better promoted compliance with the Policy,’ the NBA said.

The Pacers lost that game to the Jazz, 131-122.

The league’s statement on the fines was capped by a strong message directly from Silver.

‘Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games,’ Silver said. ‘Additionally, we are working with our Competition Committee and Board of Governors to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct.’

 LeBron James continues to add his name to the NBA history books.

In his 23rd season, the 41-year-old became the oldest player to produce a triple-double.

James produced 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, leading his team in all three categories as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks, 124-104, at home on Thursday, Feb. 12.

It’s also his first triple-double of the season. James finished the 2024-25 season with 10.

He is fifth on the NBA’s all-time regular-season triple-doubles list with 123. He trails just Russell Westbrook (207), Nikola Jokic (184), Oscar Robertson (181) and Magic Johnson (138).

LeBron James stats vs. Mavericks

• Points: 28
• FG: 10-for-20 (2-for-7 3-point shooting)
• Free Throws: 6-for-7
• Rebounds: 10
• Assists: 12
• Steals: 0
• Blocks: 1
• Turnovers: 4
• Fouls: 0
• Minutes: 35

Lakers vs. Mavericks highlights

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topić made his NBA debut against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, four months after he was diagnosed with cancer.

The 6-foot-6 Serbian had been unavailable after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in October and undergoing chemotherapy.

He received a standing ovation from the home crowd at Paycom Center after checking into the game with 1:55 left in the first quarter.

Topić was the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Thunder. He played in just one preseason game before having surgery and undergoing chemotherapy.

Topić went 1-for-3 from the field, scoring his first official NBA points, in 12 minutes. He also had a rebound and an assist.

Thanks to Wednesday night’s pole qualifying, we know who will start on the front row for the 68th annual Daytona 500. Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will lead the field for Sunday’s 500-mile race at Daytona International Speedway.

Alongside Busch’s Richard Childress Motorsports Chevrolet will be Chase Briscoe in the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Briscoe missed out by less than two-hundredths of a second to Busch for pole position.

Thursday night in Daytona Beach it was all about sorting out the rest of the order.

Busch led the field in Duel 1 with the starting order for the inside lane on the line from Daytona International Speedway. Ford-powered cars quickly took the lead with Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher pacing the field.

But late contact between Noah Gragson and Casey Mears brought out a caution period, forcing an overtime finish. Another wreck started by Bubba Wallace’s spin meant a jumbled finish led by Joey Logano. The three-time Cup Series champion will line up behind Busch for Sunday’s race.

The second Duel at Daytona was far less eventful. Briscoe held the lead for most of the 60-lap race. The pit stops jumbled the order and Chase Elliott made a late charge past Carson Hocevar for the win. Elliott will start Sunday’s race behind Briscoe.

Here’s the final starting order – and a recap of what happened Thursday from Daytona.

Daytona 500 starting grid

1. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing
2. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske
4. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports
5. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske
6. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports
7. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing
8. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports
9. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing
10. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports
11. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club
12. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
13. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing
14. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing
15. Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports
17. Casey Mears, No. 66 Garage 66
18. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports
19. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing
20. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing
21. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports
22. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
23. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team
24. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club
25. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports
26. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing
27. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing
28. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing
29. Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing
30. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports
31. Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club
32. Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing
33. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing
34. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing
35. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing
36. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske
37. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing
38. Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Beard Motorsports
39. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports
40. Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports
41. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing

Daytona Duel 2 update: Chase Elliott ekes out victory

The Hendrick Motorsports driver made it through the field and held the lead into the last lap over Carson Hocevar. Elliott managed to keep Hocevar at bay entering the final turns and didn’t let the Spire Motorsports driver get a run on him to end the race.

Daytona Duel 2 update: Hocevar leads entering final 10-lap stretch

Nine laps remain in Duel 2 at Daytona. After the field made its pit stops, Carson Hocevar emerged as the leader and paces the field from the front ahead of Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Michael McDowell and Tyler Reddick.

Daytona Duel 2 update: Briscoe holding lead ahead of pit stops

As we reach Lap 40, Briscoe continues to hold the lead out front. Hamlin’s dropped back slightly to fifth with Ty Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as the main challengers to Briscoe at the front.

Daytona Duel 2 update: Briscoe, Hamlin leading the way

We are one-third of the way through the second Daytona Duel of the night and second-place qualifier Chase Briscoe continues to hold the lead. Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

Daytona Duel 2: Chase Briscoe leads the green flag racing

The second Duel at Daytona is underway from Daytona International Speedway with Briscoe leading after qualifying second.

Daytona Duel 1 update: Joey Logano wins under caution

The Team Penske driver made his way to the front during the big wreck by Wallace and held on for his fourth Duel win. Logano will start from third position on Sunday’s race on the inside track behind polesitter Busch.

Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, John Hunter Nemechek and Brad Keselowski round out the top five of Duel 1. Casey Mears made a last-lap push during the Duel to make it into the Daytona 500 for Garage 66 Ford.

Daytona Duel 1 update: Race heads to overtime after big wreck

With less than 10 laps to go, Bubba Wallace got spun out in his 23XI Racing Toyota and collected multiple cars in the Duel 1 race. The running order looks much different but Fords remain in front with Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney pacing the field ahead of an overtime sprint to the finish.

Daytona Duel 1 update: Mears, Gragson contact brings out caution

Casey Mears and Noah Gragson decided to pit on Lap 46 and made contact entering pit road. Mears locked up his brakes and lost control, spinning into Gragson as the two went to take on fuel. The race is now under caution.

Daytona Duel 1 update: Fords continue to pace the field

Ryan Preece remains in the lead of Duel 1 on Lap 40 ahead of Chris Buescher, Corey LaJoie and Brad Keselowski with the lone pit stop of the race looming.

Daytona Duel 1 update: Preece, Buescher leading the way

A third of the way through the first Duel race, it’s a competition between Ford-powered drivers. Ryan Preece, winner of the Cook Out Clash, currently leads the way over Chris Buescher. Corey LaJoie, Brad Keselowski and John Hunter Nemechek round out the top five.

Daytona Duel 1: Green flag racing is on

The field is roaring around the Daytona International Speedway to determine half of the running order for Sunday’s race with Kyle Busch leading the way.

What are the Duels at Daytona? What to know about unique qualifying

For the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500 uses a unique qualifying format. Things start off with the usual time-based format last night for pole qualifying. From there, everything changes.

The Duels at Daytona use two 60-lap races to set the grid. Duel 1, led by the pole winner from pole qualifying, features the odd-numbered finishers from qualifying. The finishing order from Duel 1 will determine the inside lane order for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Duel 2, led by the second-fastest driver in pole qualifying, includes the even-numbered finishers from the qualifying session. This race’s finishing order determines the outside lane order for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

How to watch the Duels at Daytona: Time, TV channel, live stream

• Date: Thursday, Feb. 12
• Duel 1 Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Duel 2 Time: 8:45 p.m. ET (approximate)
• TV: FS1 (both duel races)
• Streaming: Fubo, FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app

Watch the 2026 Daytona Duels with Fubo

What time do the Duels at Daytona start?

Following an electric night at Daytona 500 qualifying, the Duels at Daytona will get started on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. The Duel 2 race will kick off roughly at 8:45 p.m. ET.

Daytona 500 final qualifying round results

Wednesday night’s Daytona 500 final qualifying round results:

• Kyle Busch (49.006)
• Chase Briscoe (49.023)
• Ryan Preece (49.061)
• Denny Hamlin (49.100)
• Corey Heim (49.148)
• Alex Bowman (49.152)
• Kyle Larson (49.158)
• Chris Buescher (49.184)
• Chase Elliott (49.220)
• Joey Logano (49.275)

Daytona 500 odds

• Ryan Blaney (+1200)
• Joey Logano (+1200)
• William Byron (+1400)
• Denny Hamlin (+1400)
• Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch at +1600

Justin Allgaier qualifies for Daytona 500 as open driver

Justin Allgaier locked in a spot for the 2026 Daytona 500 after finishing the first round of qualifying with a time of 49.201. He also bumped Corey LaJoie out of the top 10.

Allgaier was also bumped out of the top 10 moments later after Joey Logano (49.138) jumped into the top 10. Regardless of his placement at the end of the round, Allgaier secured a spot in the Daytona 500 as one of the two fastest non-chartered drivers along with Corey Heim.

Elroy Face, an All-Star pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates and World Series champion, has died at the age of 97, the Pirates announced on Feb. 12.

‘It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Pirates Hall of Famer Elroy Face, a beloved member of the Pirates family,’ Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “I was fortunate to get to know Elroy personally, and I will always be proud that we had the chance to honor him with his induction into the Pirates Hall of Fame.’

Nicknamed ‘The Baron of the Bullpen,’ Face was a groundbreaking pitcher, performing in a role that evolved into the modern-day closer. Face holds the National League record for wins in relief (96). Face also holds Pirates franchise records for appearances (802) and saves (188). His NL record for saves was not broken until 1982, when Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter surpassed Face’s total.

Face made All-Star Game appearances in three consecutive seasons from 1959-1961. The peak of his career coincided with the Pirates winning the 1960 World Series, a Fall Classic made famous by Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off Series-winning home run in Game 7. Face recorded three saves in that World Series win over the New York Yankees.

It was Face’s 1959 season that was his finest. He went 18-1 with a 2.70 ERA over 57 appearances, finishing seventh in NL MVP voting. During his career, he was a three-time league leader in saves and twice led the league in games pitched.

Face spent 15 seasons with the Pirates before pitching briefly with the Detroit Tigers and Montreal Expos to close out his storied career.

Following a hearing on Thursday, Feb. 12, Mississippi Judge Robert Whitwell granted Chambliss a temporary injunction against the NCAA, which makes the Mississippi star quarterback immediately eligible to compete for the Rebels for the 2026 season.

The NCAA will have the opportunity to appeal the decision.

‘The (NCAA) acted in bad faith to deny him an additional year of eligibility,’ Whitwell said during his ruling.

Should Thursday’s decision be upheld, Chambliss would receive a sixth season of eligibility after spending four seasons at Division II Ferris State and last season at Ole Miss.

The hearing was held at the Calhoun County Courthouse in Pittsboro, Mississippi, about 45 minutes from Ole Miss’ Oxford campus. Tom Mars, Chambliss’ lawyer, had said on social media that the case’s location gave them “a level playing field where Trinidad’s rights will be determined by the Mississippi judiciary instead of some bureaucrats in Indianapolis who couldn’t care less about the law or doing the right thing.”

Chambliss sued the NCAA in Lafayette County (Mississippi) Chancery Court on Jan. 16, seven days after the NCAA denied his eligibility waiver. Chambliss had appealed the NCAA’s initial decision, but the college sports governing body denied the appeal on Feb. 4.

In his waiver request, Chambliss sought to receive a retroactive medical redshirt for the 2022 season at Ferris State, when he was dealing with what he described in court documents as ‘recurrent throat infections, poor sleep quality, daytime fatigue and exercise-related discomfort” after a documented episode of infectious mononucleosis in 2020. Chambliss didn’t play a game for the Bulldogs during the 2022 season.

In Thursday’s hearing, NCAA attorney Taylor Askew said that Chambliss practiced during the 2022 season and that no records established in court noted that Chambliss missed football-related activities because of his tonsils.

During his testimony on Thursday, Chambliss said that Ferris State coach Tony Annese told him before the 2022 season that he’d receive a medical redshirt.

“Approval requires schools to submit medical documentation provided by a treating physician at the time of a student’s incapacitating injury or illness, which was not provided,” the NCAA said in a statement in its initial waiver denial. “The documents provided by Ole Miss and the student’s prior school include a physician’s note from a December 2022 visit, which stated the student-athlete was ‘doing very well’ since he was seen in August 2022. Additionally, the student-athlete’s prior school indicated it had no documentation on medical treatment, injury reports or medical conditions involving the student-athlete during that time frame and cited ‘developmental needs and our team’s competitive circumstances’ as its reason the student-athlete did not play in the 2022-23 season.”

Chambliss was one of the breakout stars of the 2025 college football season in his first season with Ole Miss after transferring in from Ferris State. 

He began the season as the Rebels’ backup, but assumed the starting role after quarterback Austin Simmons suffered an ankle injury in a Sept. 6 win at Kentucky. From there, he helped Ole Miss win a program-record 13 games and advance to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. He finished the season with 3,937 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions, as well as 527 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting.

The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native had previously led Ferris State to a Division II national championship in 2024 before transferring from the school.

Despite not receiving an invitation to the NFL draft combine, Chambliss is widely regarded as an NFL prospect. Most mock drafts have him going between the third and fifth rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, should he end up in the draft.

With Chambliss’ future in limbo, Ole Miss first-year head coach Pete Golding secured commitments from Auburn transfer quarterback Deuce Knight and Louisiana transfer quarterback Walker Howard.

Nick Castellanos’ time with the Philadelphia Phillies came to an end on Thursday, Feb. 12 with his release as the team began to gather for spring training.

The former Phillies outfielder wasted no time in penning a four-page handwritten letter, which he shared on his Instagram account, following the news of the release.

In the letter, Castellanos addressed Philadelphia fans and made an admission about the events that led to his eventual release, which he called the ‘Miami incident.’

‘As a veteran of the game of baseball, there are rules, and I broke one in Miami,’ Castellanos wrote. ‘After being taken out of a close ball game in front of my friends and family, I brought a Presidente (beer) into the dugout. I then sat right next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and too tight of restrictions in others are not conducive to us winning.’

‘Shoutout to my teammates and Howie for taking the beer out of my hands before I could take a sip (I appreciate you guys).’

The incident Castellanos refers to happened on June 16, 2025, in a game against NL East rival Miami Marlins. During a 5-2 Phillies win over the Marlins, manager Rob Thomson removed Castellanos in the eighth inning for defensive replacement Johan Rojas.

With Castellanos being from Davie, Florida, being just over 20 miles from Marlins Park, he took exception to being removed from the game. The next day, Thomson and the Phillies announced Castellanos was being benched for making an ‘inappropriate comment.’

‘One of the many things about Nick that I love is that he’s very emotional,’ Thomson said. ‘He loves to play, and he loves to play every inning of every game. I just thought last night he made an inappropriate comment after he came out, and so today, he’s not going to play. And I’m going to leave it at that.’

Castellanos revealed on Feb. 12 that it was not only his comments, but also his actions that led to his benching.

Despite the troubles near the end of his Phillies career, he showed an appreciation to the city and the fans in part of the letter he shared on social media.

‘To the people of city, thank you for showing up for the past four years,’ Castellanos wrote. ‘Applauding or booing, you were there.’

A 44-year-old Slovakian man who planned to watch a hockey game at the Winter Olympics in Italy was arrested on Wednesday, Feb. 11 due to an outstanding warrant, Reuters reported.

The man had been on the run for 16 years before returning to Italy with plans to watch Slovakia’s hockey game against Finland, Reuters said.

Police were aware of his location after he checked into a guesthouse just outside of Milan and he was taken to the central San Vittore prison.

He is expected to serve 11 months and a week as punishment for a series of store thefts he committed in 2010, according to the Carabinieri (Italian military police).

The owner of the Baltimore Orioles is among the names found in the Epstein files released by the Justice Department.

Emails show David Rubenstein ― who is also the Carlyle Group chair ― met with Jeffrey Epstein in November 2012 and had potential plans for another meeting, but it appears that a second meeting did not take place.

A spokesperson for Rubenstein released the following statement to WBAL News Radio in Baltimore:

“Mr. Rubenstein had one meeting for 20 minutes in Carlyle’s office, at the request of people seeking Mr. Rubenstein’s participation in philanthropic endeavors, none of which were pursued by Mr. Rubenstein,” the spokesperson said.

‘A brief email thanking Mr. Rubenstein for the meeting also suggested a meeting between Mr. Rubenstein and Ehud Barak, which never occurred. There is nothing more to Mr. Rubenstein’s involvement than that innocuous interaction.’

Legendary trainer John Shirreffs died in his sleep at age 80 in California, according to the Daily Racing Forum.

Shirreffs was based out of Southern California and guided several horses to success, including Zenyatta.

Shirreffs has played a role in winning the 2005 Kentucky Derby with Giacomo and three Breeders’ Cup championships with Zenyatta and Life Is Sweet during his career.

The horses under his watch have won 589 races in 3,589 starts with more than $58,581,916 in career earnings, according to Equibase.

Shirreffs remained active as a trainer with more than 30 horses in training, including Baeza and Westwood, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

‘He was a fixture at Santa Anita Park throughout his career and his legacy as a caring horseman will remain embedded in the fabric of our history,’ the racetrack posted on its Facebook page. ‘Every horse who races at Santa Anita must first pass by the statue of John’s greatest trainee, the wonderful mare Zenyatta.’

He spent the weekend in Florida to inspect 2-year-old horses that belonged to Lee and Susan Searing.

Lee Searing told the Daily Racing Forum that “Shirreffs was fighting an illness” during the recent trip.